جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

LUCIANIt’s only Thursday, and I’ve already decided this week is the worst one I’ve had in a long time.I pulled my glasses off and set them on the folder in front of me, rubbing at the pressure that has been building behind my eyes all day. When I opened them again, my gaze drifted to the empty space across the desk. For a second I could almost see her fiery statue standing there again.Since she stormed out of this office three days ago, whatever small progress I thought we’ve made has gone straight to hell.The silence is the worst part. I’ve grown use to her sharp tongue and the way she’d glare at me like she wanted to set me on fire.I could handle her anger, but her new mannerism is different. She’s gone completely numb. It’s almost like she reached into her own system and flipped a master kill-switch on. She doesn’t give me the time of day anymore. If I speak, she answers with one word. Maybe two if she’s feeling generous then walks away like I’m not worth the breath.She hasn’t

LUCIAN“Corinne.”I turned at the sound of the voice, only to find the thirty-something-year-old doctor standing by the doorway with his attention fixed entirely on her with a level of familiarity that set my teeth on edge.I knew she was friendly with the staff—despite the fact that I told her to keep a professional distance—but the genuine smile she sent his way made me recoil in anger as I slowly step back from the counter, creating space between us. Is she a magnet for unserious men?First was Charles, and now I have to deal with the resident physician looking at her like she’s his next meal.I pinned him with a hard look. “It’s ma’am or Mrs Delacroix to you.”He gave an indifferent shrug, not even sparing me a glance, as he walked further into the bathroom until he was standing right next to her. “Okay sir.”My hands curled into fists before I forced them to relax.I’m so firing his ass after this.I crossed my arms over my bare chest and watched them, while pointedly ignoring th

LUCIAN“…if we get the head of Max’s finance team to sign off on the deal, we can move the entire acquisition forward by next quarter.”I stared at Isaac as he spoke. My eyes tracked his moving mouth but I wasn’t processing a single word.I’ve been useless all day.Ever since I left Corinne and the boys at the house this morning, my mind has been stuck in that bathroom. In the way she’d been genuinely laughing with me like we were long time buddies. Like she didn’t hate me for a second.At that moment, I’d gotten to see her unshielded self, she was just… Corinne.I wasn’t going to lie to myself and pretend we suddenly are in a good place.Hell, I had actually apologized to her last night and what I got in return was a flat ‘okay.’I knew I should’ve just kept my mouth shut. But seeing her motionless on that bathroom floor had done something to me that I hadn’t been prepared for.The fear had hit first. Then came the anger.Anger because she kept brushing it off like her pain didn’t mat

LUCIAN“Mum,” I groaned out.“I’m just saying,” she replied calmly while arranging desserts onto a tray like she has all the time in the world. “It’s very strange that you’re suddenly this secretive over someone.”Secretive.If she only knew.We are still circling the same topic we’ve been stuck on for the past ten minutes—my so-called date. I wonder how this conversation would shift if I tell her the truth. If I tell her that the mysterious woman she’s so curious about was actually someone I had paid to be my wife for six months.That would go over well.“And like I told you earlier,” I said, leaning back against the kitchen counter, “you’ll have to wait until Matt’s wedding to meet her.”She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Why?”“Because you’ll likely scare her off with all the interrogation and prodding. I’m doing you both a favor.”She clutched a silver spoon to her chest. “I most certainly will not. I am perfectly capable of being a gracious host.”I laughed. “Have you actually

LUCIANOn the flight here, I had the whole thing mapped out in my head.I’ll meet the source, grill them about Nathan, poke into the hidden accounts and then crush everyone involved in this scheme.That was the plan or rather, that had been the plan.The first problem I met was Corinne.Finding her here tripped me up. If I’m guessing right, she’s either part of whatever this was and came to cover their tracks, or she somehow got ahead of me and followed the lead on her own.Neither option worked in her favor.So I decided to make her sit through the meeting, hoping that watching me tear the truth out of the director would cause her to crack and slip up.But the second problem is currently shaking the ground beneath my feet. It’s right here in my hand. In this photo.“Elena…?” I croaked out, my throat felt like it was closing up.There is no logical reason, no sane explanation for why my wife’s face is staring back at me in a place like this.Her smile, her eyes—everything I thought I k